Community Services

THE EASIEST WAY TO PREVENT SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND ABUSE IS TO KNOW THE RISKS AND USE ANY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION WITH CAUTION.

SPEAK OUT
OPT OUT
THROW OUT

HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

Talk to your loved ones about the risks of taking prescription medication. There are websites such as SAMHSA, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, and Centers for Disease Control that have helpful resources to guide conversations with family members, friends, and practitioners.

LIMIT OPIOID USE AS PAINKILLERS

Opioids are commonly prescribed as painkillers after medical procedures. However, use of these medications may lead to dependence and addiction if not properly managed.

To prevent addiction, only take opioids as necessary. Transition from managing the pain with opioids to non-opioid alternatives, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as quickly as you are able.

Talk to your doctor about alternative pain treatments and limiting the use of opioids.

GET RID OF OLD & UNUSED MEDICATION

There are multiple drug disposal locations in Northern Virginia that will take unused medications and dispose of them safely, helping keep your house free from potentially dangerous drugs.

Drop Off Locations in Prince William County:

Manassas Park Police Department

329 Manassas Drive
Manassas Park, Virginia 20111
703-361-1136

CVS Pharmacy

9200 Centreville Road
Manassas, Virginia 20110
518-869-0657

More locations in nearby counties-https://knowrx.org/ or https://takebackday.dea.gov/

SAFE HOME STORAGE AND DISPOSAL

There are ways to keep medication safer at home. Timer pill caps and medication storage boxes are cost-effective devices to keep medication safer by decreasing the access to the medication. Pill caps and medication storage boxes are beneficial in keeping track of medication - a timer cap cannot be opened until the prescribed amount of time has elapsed since the last dose. This device can be helpful for older adults who may not remember when they took their last dose of medication or as a last line of defense in keeping people who may want to misuse medication.

Save a life and a fish by disposing of your expired and unused medication properly! Medication disposal bags are a convenient way to dispose of medication in the comforts of your own home without waiting for the bi-annual DEA Drug Take Back Days. Medication disposal bags can be found at your local pharmacy or online.

These storage and disposal methods are all available at no-cost from PWC Community Services. If you need disposal bags,   storage lock boxes, or pill bottle timers please call 703-792-7739 or email [email protected].

BE PREPARED IN THE CASE OF AN OVERDOSE

Receive and learn how to administer Naloxone (Narcan), a medication used to counter the effects of opioids in the case of an overdose:

• REVIVE Trainings -REVIVE! is the Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education (OONE) program for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Currently REVIVE! provides training on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose emergency with the administration of naloxone (Narcan ®). Prince William County Community Services and our community partners offer REVIVE! trainings in the community. Participants in the REVIVE! trainings receive Narcan nasal spray at the completion of the 90-minute training. For information on upcoming REVIVE! trainings in our community visit the Calendar page.
• R.O.P.E. Trainings - The R.O.P.E program trainings are provided by the Chris Atwood Foundation include education on how to identify someone who is in active overdose, how to reverse an overdose using Naloxone, how to dispose of unused medication using a medication deactivation pouch, myths and facts surrounding substance use disorder, and steps to help someone into long term recovery from substance use disorder. Naloxone is dispensed, for free, at the end of the training.

SOME OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES

Office of the Attorney General: https://oag.state.va.us/programs-initiatives/heroin-opioid-epidemic

Curb the Crisis: https://curbthecrisis.com

KnowRX: https://knowrx.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/

The Chris Atwood Foundation: https://www.chrisatwoodfoundation.org/

Operation Prevention: https://www.operationprevention.com/

US Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/prevention/index.html

Watch the film released by the FBI and DEA, "Chasing The Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict", a documentary aimed at educating students and young adults about the dangers of addiction. 

https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-chasing-the-dragon-the-life-of-an-opiate-addict/view